Chapter Nineteen: Seeking Traces

Disciples rotated in shifts as the cloud vessel pressed forward day and night, rapidly approaching Mei Mountain. Onboard, though Guì Yǒng had already recounted the events, Chief Guì Qù still pored over the dossier several times, ensuring every detail was clear in his mind.

As one of the Abbot, two Elders, and four Chiefs of Putuo, Guì Qù understood the purpose and inner workings of the matter, though the specifics and reports from returned monks were not yet known to him. For instance, he was unaware that Kū Yú and his party had ventured deep into Mei Mountain, nor that they had contacted the Tianma Trading Guild, orchestrated their actions, and lured cultivators into the mountain to sacrifice them by blood, drawing out the demon. All this was meticulously recorded in the dossier.

The report he received was sent before their departure, but based on his understanding of Kū Yú, Guì Qù believed the actual events likely matched his expectations closely.

After careful consideration, he decided to steer the cloud vessel into the guild’s encampment to observe the situation firsthand, before using the Divine Earth Light to travel directly to where Kū Yú had perished, verifying the traces and determining whether the demon hidden here was indeed the abomination sought by the Buddhist decree.

The sole purpose of his bowl-shaped talisman was the Divine Light spell inscribed at its core, resonating with the altar, so that by invoking Buddhist arts, he could arrive precisely at his destination without significant deviation. If he did not go to the encampment, he would need to find a safe place to set up the altar, which would be even more troublesome.

Mei Mountain was one of the twelve forbidden demon caves of the Eastern Divine Continent. Not even immortals dared to fly here easily, let alone ride a cloud vessel; a single powerful demon could overturn the skies and destroy the vessel, and his cultivation would only allow him to hover briefly—faced with a great demon, there would be no escape.

The outer reaches of Mei Mountain were the limit; to go further would be near impossible.

Following the traces left by Kū Yú and his party, Guì Qù soon entered the domain of Mei Mountain and arrived above the encampment.

What greeted him was devastation—everywhere corpses, flesh already beginning to rot, blood and filth, remnants destroyed by beasts, weeds growing sparse and wild, all bearing witness to the slaughter.

The cloud vessel circled twice in mid-air. From the distribution of corpses and the direction of the bows and crossbows, Guì Qù immediately discerned that this was not an external beast attack, but something from within. He focused his attention on the area around the beast cages and descended to inspect personally.

“Almost no signs of fighting outside the walls. These beasts couldn’t have attacked from outside. Could they have slipped in and acted from within...?”

“No, it seems not. There are claw marks climbing the inner walls, but none on the outer. The bells at the camp’s corners have not changed—these aren’t flying demons... So, it must be from inside out.”

“The shackles are open, not torn by brute force—interesting, interesting... The same goes for the deputy’s restraints. Was it a demon or a beast? Such intelligence...”

“There’s hardly any blood on the chains, so the demon didn’t break free on its own; it must have been released by another creature...”

“It’s actually a beast! How odd—even a beast capable of transformation shouldn’t possess such intelligence.”

After more than an hour’s inspection, Guì Qù emerged from the physician’s quarters with a strange smile, murmuring, “Unexpected, truly unexpected—a demon so clever hidden on the outskirts of Mei Mountain. Fascinating.”

Even if Six Ugly possessed memories from two lifetimes, it could not have anticipated that its actions would be deduced from mere remnants; later, when it learned this, it was filled with regret for not setting fire to cover its tracks. In years to come, Six Ugly delighted in arson, burning everything—be it beast, god, or demon—its violent nature attributed to its demonic character, though the true root was here.

Having finished his inspection, Guì Qù could do no more—he had no means to track the beast. With a sigh of regret, he ordered the monks to unload the vessel’s equipment and found a clean, flat place to set up the ritual altar.

There were two altars, one for arrival, one for return. Guì Qù, having already touched the threshold of ascension, was far more cautious of Mei Mountain than ordinary monks like Kū Yú. Should he sense any danger upon arrival, he would spare no effort to flee without delay.

With the Six Treasures Demon-Subduing Scepter as the center of the array, Guì Qù’s altar activated swiftly. Amid a halo of light, he found himself a hundred miles away, at the edge of a broken cliff. Beneath his feet lay the deeply embedded bowl and a forest of white bones.

Guì Qù dared not move. Carefully, he picked up the demon-subduing scepter and poured his cultivation into it without pause...

The surroundings of the cliff were as before, but the blue sky and white clouds were gone, replaced by oppressive black clouds overhead. The mist and miasma in the valley below had dissipated, exposing countless trees. The calls of insects and birds had vanished, and thick layers of fallen leaves covered the roots, the branches yellowing and growing ugly and twisted, matching the rest of Mei Mountain.

Soon, Guì Qù opened his eyes in surprise, his face puzzled, for the demon-subduing scepter in his hand remained silent. In other words, it had sensed no demonic energy!

There was no demon here?!

The Six Treasures Demon-Subduing Scepter was a true spiritual instrument, bestowed by the Immortal Mountain of the Spirit Platform. Beyond subduing demons, it could sense their presence. Guì Qù had used it for just that purpose, but never expected there to be no demon at all!

How could he believe it?

He immediately dropped the scepter and probed the surroundings with his own cultivation, searching for traces of demonic energy...

Again, nothing—not even lingering demonic traces!

This was most peculiar. Guì Qù knew well that wherever a demon had been, its energy would linger for a long time, especially lesser demons whose traces lasted longer. For them to vanish completely in just five days could only mean one thing:

Either there had never been a demon here, or the demon’s cultivation was so high that Guì Qù, who had not ascended, could not detect it at all...

Could such a vast forest in Mei Mountain truly be free of demons?

The answer was self-evident.

Since the demon had already left, he was temporarily safe. The next step was beyond his ability; now he needed to send word back to Putuo, so the Abbot could report and alert the Western Buddhist Kingdom.

But before that, he had one last task: to cremate the fallen monks and return their ashes to the temple, as the Abbot had repeatedly instructed. Though he felt Kū Yú and his ilk undeserving, Guì Qù had to comply.

As for the other corpses found within the cave, Guì Qù could not be bothered to attend to them.

He hastily gathered some branches and tossed them into the pit, then lit the fire.

As the flames grew, Guì Qù sighed, preparing to recite a passage for the departed souls. Suddenly, he sensed a faint demonic energy approaching rapidly.

He was startled at first, but soon laughed at his own nervousness. The energy was so weak it was barely discernible—at most, a newly transformed minor demon with no cultivation, certainly not the kind to dominate such a valley.

Indeed, the demonic energy stopped before getting any closer. Guì Qù looked from afar and saw two small demons peeking from behind a tree. His curiosity piqued, he walked toward them.

Seeing him approach, the little demons panicked and tried to flee, but Guì Qù was in no hurry. He summoned the demon-subduing scepter, which crashed down from mid-air, shattering a massive stone just three feet from their heads.

Such a display of power left the two trembling, both falling to their knees, pleading desperately, “Spare us, Grandfather, spare us!”

Guì Qù strode over and chose a tree stump to sit upon. Observing them closely, he saw they were a weasel demon and a fox demon, both newly transformed, their demonic aura thin. He said, “Do you wish to live or die?”

“We wish to live, we beg Grandfather for mercy!” the two pleaded, kowtowing repeatedly.

“If you wish to live, answer honestly. Tell me—what happened in the valley below this cliff, and why were you lurking here?”

“I’ll tell, I’ll tell! A few days ago, we followed our king to hunt—someone had entered the mountain, so we chased them here,” the fox demon, quick-witted, replied at once. “When we got close, the king stopped chasing and said that our mountain’s ancestor was here—no mortal, not even an immortal, could escape. He ordered us to wait, but after a day under the dark clouds, the king came to check and said the ancestor was gone. He went back to confer with the other kings, leaving just us two to wait. If the ancestor returned, we were to report.”

Guì Qù pondered, suspecting that the so-called ancestor was the great demon he had deduced—a demon that could be called ancestor was no ordinary creature. Very likely, this was the monster sought by the Buddhist kingdom, now escaped. Such a demon was far beyond the capabilities of Putuo Temple; he could report all he had learned upon his return.

As for the humans hunted by the demons, they must have been the Tianma Trading Guild and Kū Yú’s party. Yet, knowing Kū Yú’s cunning, how could he have lured the mountain’s demon kings out and then be hunted down? This was never mentioned in the dossier—something did not add up...

Lost in thought, Guì Qù’s gaze wandered over the two demons and noticed a scar on the weasel demon’s chest—two round punctures from iron spikes. He also saw faint marks of shackles on its limbs and immediately barked, “How did your demon king know someone entered the mountain? Speak!”

“I—I—I...” The fox demon, startled, began to answer but realized it did not know. Quick-thinking, it pointed to the weasel demon and cried, “It reported it, it reported it!”

Guì Qù turned his gaze upon the weasel demon.

Before he could ask, the weasel demon hurriedly replied, “I’ll tell, I’ll tell! Please don’t kill me, Grandfather! The truth is...” Without a shred of concealment, it spilled everything, as quick and thorough as pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

Humans may be ungrateful, but demons are not—for the concept is simply unknown to them!

As long as I live, let the flood take everyone else!

Though the weasel demon was less clever than the fox, it explained clearly. As it spoke, the image of a cunning monkey—no, here it was more apt to call it a cunning fiend—became ever clearer.

“So that’s how it is!”

Combining his own investigation, Guì Qù was certain the weasel demon had not lied. Satisfied, he nodded, “Anything else?”

“No, nothing else, Grandfather—we’ve told everything!” The two demons knelt again, kowtowing and pleading for their lives.

“I believe you!” Guì Qù nodded, smiling. “In that case, you are no longer needed!”

With his words, the demon-subduing scepter soared up and crashed down toward the two demons’ heads!